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US 2026/0286475 A1Published application
3d printed high carbon content steel and method of preparing the same
AssigneeVBN Components AB
InventorBeste ULRIK
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Abstract
The present invention relates to a 3D printed product of an iron based alloy having a narrow distribution of carbide areas and to a method of preparing the product where the HIP and hardening is combined.
Claims38
A 3D-printed product made of an iron based alloy comprising a metal matrix and grains of carbides embedded in the metal matrix;
- wherein the alloy comprises
- Carbon:
- equal to or greater than 1.0 and equal to or less than 5.0 weight %;
- Chromium:
- equal to or greater than 2.0 and equal to or less than 22.0 weight %;
- Iron:
- balance;
- wherein the alloy further comprises at least two of the elements:
- Tungsten:
- equal to or greater than 2 and equal to or less than 13 weight %,
- Cobalt:
- equal to or greater than 7 and equal to or less than 18 weight %,
- Molybdenum:
- equal to or greater than 1 and equal to or less than 10 weight %, and
- Vanadium:
- equal to or greater than 3 and equal to or less than 8 weight %;
- and
- wherein the alloy comprises unavoidable trace amount of impurities;
- and
- wherein the maximum carbide area is less than 8 μm2 and wherein the average carbide area is less than 2 μm2;
- and/or
- wherein the carbide area distribution has a difference between the d90 value and d10 value of not more than 1.90 μm2;
- and/or
- wherein the carbide area distribution has a d90 value of not more than 2.20 μm2.
21 more elements
A method of preparing a 3D-printed product comprising:
- a) providing a powder of an iron based alloy wherein the iron based alloy further comprises carbon and unavoidable amounts of impurities;
- b) 3D printing a product from the iron based alloy in a free forming apparatus having a chamber wherein the 3D printing is performed in vacuum;
- and
- c) treating the obtained product in step b by
- i. placing the product in a furnace;
- ii. heating the product to a first temperature of at least 850° C., increasing the pressure in the furnace to a first pressure of at least 80 MPa and keeping the product at the first temperature and pressure during a first hold time;
- iii. heating the product to a second temperature of at least 950° C. and keeping the product at the second temperature and at a second pressure during a second hold time;
- iv. quenching the product to a third temperature and reducing the pressure in the furnace to a third pressure, and keeping the product at the third temperature and pressure for a third hold time;
- and
- v. performing a temperature cycle by heating the product to a fourth temperature and increasing the pressure in the furnace to a fourth pressure and keeping the product at the fourth temperature and pressure for a fourth hold time, followed by lowering the temperature of the product to a fifth temperature.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.